Rory McIlroy finished his golfing season on a high on Sunday morning as he clinched the DP World Tour Championship crown in Dubai.

The Holywood golfer's one shot win over Andy Sullivan also meant he secured his place at the top of the Race to Dubai leaderboard for the third time.

McIlroy tapped in at the last for the par he needed to claim victory.

A six-under 66 round on the final day secured his position as European No. 1 for another year.

Despite not winning a major title this season, Rory insisted winning the Race to Dubai was hugely important to him.

He told Sky Sports: "It's what I wanted to do. I set my goals and try to win the Race to Dubai and to be able to do that is fantastic.

"It caps the year off nicely. It's been a little bit of a struggle at times but to finish like this was fantastic.

"I'm really going to enjoy a few weeks off now and get ready for next season."

Sports Minister Carál Ní Chuilín congratulated Rory saying:“Winning the Race to Dubai title yet again further cements Rory’s status as one of the greatest talents in golf and one of our finest ever sportsmen. The win caps a fine year for Rory, with four tournament triumphs in the bag.

“Rory’s win today comes days after Graeme McDowell’s tournament win on the PGA Tour and Graeme is yet again contending for a title going into the final round of the RSM Classic in Georgia. I wish Graeme all the best as he seeks back-to-back wins.

“This is a golden age for local golf with the Irish Open coming to Fermanagh in 2017 and the Open Championship confirmed for Portrush in 2019. We are blessed in this part of the world with having some of the best golfers currently playing the game and could realistically see a home-grown winner at these events.

“For now though my congratulations go to Rory and I wish him every success as he looks to 2016.”